“…we have no creed we can articulate. All we can talk about is our experience. We don't tell what is true, only what we feel. We know that Jesus died for our sins and that is certainly true, but how many people can actually explain exactly what that means in non-religious language in a way that is both accurate and could be understood by a non-believing listener?” [Greg Koukl. Knowledge and Relationship In Balance.]

"In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, Christians are stuttering” [Howard Hendricks]

Finally, the 21st century Apologist needs to take Apologetics far more seriously. He needs to incorporate Apologetics into every aspect of his or her ministry: every sermon, every class, every evangelistic activity. We have woefully neglected our responsibility to train our young people in the solid case for Christianity, and then we wonder why they depart from the faith under the influence of secular university instruction. We give our parishioners and our missionaries no foundation in the defence of the faith, and then wonder why our evangelistic efforts show so little fruit in a world where people have long moved beyond accepting something just because someone else believes it. [John Warwick Montgomery]

Contending For The FaithThere is an attitude in the hearts of some Christians that regards debating as beneath the dignity of the followers of Christ and as detrimental to the spread of the Kingdom. The world regards debating with suspicion. This almost universal disapproval of religious debating outside the church has had its effect on the members of the church. For this reason it is good to examine the Scriptures to learn the true attitude one should have toward such matters.

Why We Should Learn How To Defend The Faith..

The Relevance of Christianity The age-old questions continue to haunt us: Where did I come from? Why am I here? What am I supposed to be doing? Where am I going? Am I significant in a universe that sees me as just one more piece of cosmic dust? Is there any intrinsic meaning to my existence? Or must I determine for myself what my place and role will be?

What Christianity Is AboutChristians have to be able to communicate to the rest of the world. We've got to be able to make coherent sense of our message, even before we demonstrate that our message is actually true..

Faith And FactsSomehow people think that genuine faith is eviscerated by knowledge and evidence. We've made a virtue out of believing against the evidence, as if that's what God has in mind for us. On the contrary The Bible knows nothing of a bold leap-in-the-dark faith, a hope-against-hope faith, a faith with no evidence.

Apologetics and EvangelismMost Christians today seem to prefer experiencing Christianity to thinking about or explaining it, But Christianity thrives on intelligence, not ignorance.

The Need For Defending The FaithMany people refuse to believe without some evidence, as indeed they should, but there is a common misnomer among many Christians that apologetics never helps to bring anyone to Christ. This is a serious misrepresentation of the facts.

On the Failure of the Church to Educate We have woefully neglected our responsibility to train our young people in the solid case for Christianity, and then we wonder why they depart from the faith under the influence of secular university instruction. We give our parishioners and our missionaries no foundation in the defence of the faith, and then wonder why our evangelistic efforts show so little fruit in a world where people have long moved beyond accepting something just because someone else believes it.

What is ‘love’ in the Bible (Agape) and How Did It Work?We tend to assume at once that "love" means what it does to us in modern times -- in this case, a mushy sentimentality that never says a harsh word and never steps on the toes of others. but conceptually, it is certainly possible to love one's enemies, and yet also attack them; and the same for one's disciples or allies.

Six Enemies of ApologeticsSix factors that illegitimately inhibit apologetic engagement today. If these barriers are removed, our apologetic witness may grow into what it should be in Christ.

Challenges to The FaithFour main areas in which Christianity finds itself under attack today... philosophically, historically, scientifically, and theologically.

Deconstructing Liberal ToleranceLiberal Tolerance has shaped the way many people think about issues such as homosexuality, abortion rights, and religious truth claims, leading them to believe that a liberally tolerant posture concerning these issues is the correct one and that it ought to be reflected in our laws and customs. But this posture is dogmatic, intolerant, and coercive, for it asserts that there is only one correct view on these issues, and if one does not comply with it, one will face public ridicule, demagogic tactics, and perhaps legal reprisals. Liberal Tolerance is neither liberal nor tolerant

Apologetics in a Postmodern AgeFor many, there is no such thing as absolute truth. Rather, there are competing truths. The Christian Gospel is simply one truth among many "truths." How do we present the Gospel in this age of relativism? Has the time come to reconsider the role of apologetics in Christian theology.

How We Should Learn How To Defend The Faith..The Importance Of Knowledge. Knowledge is the foundation of being able to put forward a clear, well-reasoned defense of the faith. Unless you know what you believe and WHY, the average atheist, evolutionist, pluralist, or Jehovah’s Witness will be more than capable of turning you into a theological pretzel. However ‘being ready to give an answer to every man’ does involve some work and study. To this end, the articles listed below will help. Links are also included to whole sections of this site which contain crucial knowledge for anyone who is tired of being steam rollered by the critics of Christianity.

Single Articles

Four Killer QuestionsDr. Jeff Myers of Bryan College and Summit Ministries suggests four "killer questions" to help anyone think critically.{1} The first question is, What do you mean by that? In other words, define your terms. The second question is, Where do you get your information? The third is, How do you know that's true?, and the fourth killer question is, What if you're wrong?These four killer questions are powerful to spark meaningful conversation and encourage yourself, and others, to think critically. Use them wisely, be prepared for some interesting conversations.

Do Extraordinary Events Require Extraordinary Evidence?Do Extraordinary Events Require Extraordinary Evidence? The Christian position only asks that we use the same reasoning and rational thought that we use to derive what are considered good conclusions in historical investigation, and apply those same means and methods to the New Testament and the resurrection of Jesus.

Why Christianity? Presenting The Evidence (Faith Solidly Grounded In Facts)This section presents the evidence as to why we can believe that the Bible is what it claims to be... the Word of God, and why we can believe Jesus is exactly who He said He is... The Son of God. Many, if not most, non-Christians assume that Christianity is a "blind faith"... Christians ignore reality and have unquestioning loyalty to an absolute belief system without proof or evidence. In fact that they believe contrary to all evidence and facts.

Much to the contrary, the Christian faith is a commitment based on evidence. The Judeo-Christian faith consistently stresses the importance of truth, and makes appeal to evidence to support it's truth claims. In fact, it is actually quite remarkable as to how many times, God, Jesus, and the prophets of both the Old and New Testaments, appealed to facts to support what they said and taught. This evidence includes the Bible’s humanly impossible authorship, it's candor about the faults and failings of it's main characters, fulfilled prophecy, and it's archaeological and scientific accuracy... none of which are seen in the books of other religions.

However, the Christian position only asks that the same criteria used to judge the truth of other ancient documents, that told us about historical people and events, be applied to the Bible. Bias aside, do the New Testament records fulfill the historian's requirements of internal, external and transmissional reliability. In other words, when were the Gospel accounts written, were they authored by the people whose name they bear, did the authors intend to record history, or did they have a hidden agenda? Finally, can we be reasonably certain that the text we have to today is what was originally written.

And why is this important? Simply because far from being outdated, out of touch, and largely irrelevant to modern society, the Kingdom of God Jesus was sent to earth to proclaim (No, His main message wasn’t about ‘love’) is exactly the utopian world most men and women can only dream of. However, there is also a warning. The Bible very clearly tells us that we all have a choice to make in this life - the most important decision we will ever make. And, if the Bible is indeed the word of God, the consequences for the individual who chooses to ignore, or counter the evidence with clever arguments, will be fatal.

Also See

Barriers To FaithThere are and always have been tough arguments against Christianity.

Questions Skeptics AskMost critics of the Bible assume that because something is unexplained it is unexplainable. Constraints of space demand that the issues addressed in this section are the more common ones, with links to more detailed resources

EvolutionMany believe in evolution for the simple reason that they think science has proven it to be a ‘fact’ and, therefore, it must be accepted.

“Get yourself a couple of sheets of lined paper and then list all the books of the Bible in order. Then, on the blank line after it write a one-sentence summary of what the book is about. One sentence, that's all.

Sound too hard? It might be, but it strikes me that if we are Christians and believe that this is the guide for our lives, then we ought to be able to know what each of the books is basically about.

Is that too hard? Let's try something else.

Take any book. One book of the Bible. List the author's name, the theme of the book, what the book is about, and then a short outline of what the flow of thought is, the reasoning, the arguments in the book, how the thought is developed.

It seems to me if we are children of the book, if we take the truth seriously, if we say the Bible is the Word of God, by golly, we ought to know what Paul was up to in the book of Philippians. Or what Hebrews is about so that we're not just grabbing a verse that assuages our need for an emotional lift in the moment, seize it right out of the context, and use it for our own personal ends rather than addressing it for the purposes that God and the author intended. [Also See Never Read a Bible Verse]

If somebody you really loved wrote you an important letter, don't you think you'd read in entirety to find out what they meant to say? Or would you just find a couple lines that you liked and then feel that you were doing a service to that person? You'd do the former, not the latter.

The Bible, the New Testament, is letters. A lot of them. To the degree that we can't pass that simple test, it's to that degree we turn out to be somewhat bankrupt. Is that fair to say? I'm not appealing here for theological degrees. I'm just saying basics.

Do you know what the books are about? Can you give me an outline of one of them? That's the test.”